My American Hero

Yesterday was a very special day. We spent the afternoon at The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum with our good friend Elizabeth. The Reagan Library and Museum is located in Simi Valley, about 45 minutes northwest of downtown Los Angeles, on 100 acres on a mountaintop with sweeping views of surrounding mountains, valleys and the Pacific Ocean. Its location is representative of the “shining city on a hill” that President Reagan often spoke about.

I had been fortunate enough to serve as escort officer to President and Mrs. Reagan when they spent the 4^th of July, 1986, aboard my ship, the battleship USS IOWA (BB-61) in New York harbor. The President was aboard for the Parade of Tall Ships and the unveiling of the Statue of Liberty, which had undergone a two-year renovation. It was one of the highlights of my Navy career.  

 Also on the grounds are the President’s Memorial, the Gipper’s Grove, the actual Air Force One that he and six other presidents flew aboard, part of the Berlin Wall, an F-14 Tomcat fighter, a full scale replica of his Oval Office, and a full scale replica of the Rose Garden. The National Archives Offices and Research Room provide access to his diaries and other Presidential papers. 

The visit aboard Air Force One (this was a Boeing 707, put into service in 1972 and last flown in 2001) was a treat, especially for Suzanne, who has flown aboard the newer Boeing 747 in 2001 with President George W. Bush, just after his inauguration and before September 11th. She gave us an insider’s look at the differences between the two aircraft (the 747 is much larger, more elegant, and has much longer range). Along those lines, while Suzanne was flying on Air Force One and Air Force Two, she got used to having lots of leg room, first class service, etc. Shortly after she retired from the Navy, we were about to fly somewhere on a commercial 737. We stepped through the entrance door and turned right, and she stopped in her tracks; “Ty, are commercial aircraft always this crowded? There’s hardly any legroom between the seats...”  "Welcome to The Real World, My Dear"...

Dramatic displays of Carter-era gas shortages, “stagflation”, plant closures, high unemployment, and seizure of the US Embassy in Tehran by Iranian terrorists reminded me of that low period in American history, 1976-1980. Reagan’s election in November 1980, the immediate release of American hostages in Iran on his inauguration day in 1981, and his landslide reelection in1984 (49 of 50 states went for Reagan that year) in my mind were emblematic of how under his leadership, America had pulled itself away from the edge of an abyss. 

While looking at a piece of the Berlin Wall outside the Museum, we asked a lady standing there to take our picture. We learned that she had a special fondness for President Reagan; Christina was from Germany, is a current resident of West Berlin, and had actually been present when President Reagan gave his famous speech saying, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” It was a very poignant moment hearing her speak of her experiences during the Cold War. 

I would like to share with you just two of his many famous quotes that meant a lot to me.

- “America’s best days are yet to come. Our proudest moments are yet to be. Our most glorious achievements are just ahead.”

- “Once you begin a great movement, there’s no telling where it will end. We meant to change a nation, and instead we changed the world.” - Ronald Reagan, Farewell Address to the Nation, January 11, 1989.

You cannot visit the Reagan Library and Museum and not feel thrilled and proud to be an American. You also are reminded that we are especially fortunate to be citizens of a truly exceptional nation that has been, is, and always shall be a beacon of freedom and justice for the rest of the world. “American Exceptionalism?” You’d better believe it!

The final part of the Museum dealt with the President’s last years, including his Alzheimer’s disease. This debilitating ailment took on a personal aspect for us when Suzanne was asked to write a book on the impact of the disease on Alzheimer’s caregivers. Her latest book, The Real Alzheimer’s, will be published within two months.

Speaking of books (and books on CD), many thanks to you, Elizabeth, for the gift of Ronald Reagan, An American Life. I am looking forward to many pleasant hours listening to President Reagan’s voice as he reads his autobiography, and getting to know him again.